Tokyo, Japan — Japan celebrates 75 years since the end of the World War II.
The prime minister of Japan promised on the 75th anniversary to “never repeat the tragedy of the war.”
“We will continue to remain committed to this resolute pledge,” Prime minister, Shinzo Abe said on Saturday. Although he did’nt attend in person, Abe marked the occasion by sending an offering to a controversial war shrine in Tokyo.
However, there were four ministers who did visit to the Yasukuni Shrine, in a move that will likely anger China and South Korea. The shrine was visited by senior politicians for the first time in four years. The shrine pays homage to a number of senior figures convicted of war crimes, as well as the country’s war dead.
“I paid respects… to the souls of those who nobly sacrificed themselves during the war,” Education Minister Koichi Hagiuda explained to reporters.
Japanese people also offered their prayers, along with a minute of silence that was held at the Shrine. Social distancing measures were in place due to the ongoing pandemic, Covid-19.